Samvaad Talk: Seeing Invisibility

Speaker: Prof. Janaki Srinivasan
April 23, 2018

Abstract: Technology for development has a long history, from railroads to mobiles phones. And if there is one thing we can learn from this history, much depends on the framing of the problem. How a technology is used, whether it is used, who uses it, what impacts it has, all these hinge on that first step. In this talk, I will discuss how the framing of problems has gone on to shape implications in several ICTD initiatives. Specifically, the focus on certain actors and assumed behaviours has ensured that others stay invisible in the framing process. I will use diverse examples from my work, and that of my students, on financial inclusion, identity systems and e-waste management, to trace the implications of this invisibility.

About the Speaker: https://www.iiitb.ac.in/faculty_page.php?name=janakisrinivasan

For video: https://youtu.be/D2lVrADqrxQ

CITAPP at IIIT Bangalore is an interdisciplinary think-tank set-up to focus on the policy challenges and the organizational demands made by technological innovation. Of particular interest to the Centre is how technological advances, along with institutional changes that harness the legitimacy and the powers of bureaucracies and market, address the needs of underserved communities.